


Take two

by Pumpkinnight120



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone (Walking Dead), Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Arson, Attempt at Humor, Carl Grimes Lives, Character Death, Childbirth, Daryl is Carl's Mom, Elements of steampunk, Explosions, Lori is Rick's sister, Merle Dixon Lives, Merle and Carol Friendship, Momma Daryl, Mpreg, Multi, Rickyl Writers' Group, Secret agent like weapons, Suicide, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24007963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pumpkinnight120/pseuds/Pumpkinnight120
Summary: A rewrite of The Walking Dead story with some added silliness and exploding bullets.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes/Shane Walsh, Merle Dixon/Paul Rovia
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	1. Prolouge

Daryl hated walkers. They were nasty, smelly, decaying creatures that ate people. He had every logical reason to hate walkers, especially if they ate someone he loved. That's when it got personal, that's when you got a loaded crossbow pointed at you and a bolt in your skull which would make said skull explode in five seconds.

Daryl Dixon hated walkers. And here begins why.


	2. In which Daryl and Merle Dixon have no time for this shit.

Daryl and Merle Dixon are brothers who have no time for the weird and ridiculous. So when people started dying and coming back to life as creatures with an intense craving for brains or whatever the fuck these things craved.

So Merle and Daryl did the only sensible thing they could do and that was to kill them.

Taking them out one by one with specialized gun bullets and crossbow bolts that caused their heads and sometimes limbs to explode, which was awesome but a messy sight to see.

Clean up was also another messy chore however the use of a shovel really builds up the arm muscles and surprisingly, ground up zombies made for great garden fertilizer. Even if it did make some plants look quite questionable.

The two were sitting on the front porch of their ramshackle house ( to call it a house was an understatement) when the clink of beer bottles caught their attention. 

Glancing in the direction of the front door the sounds of Will Dixon stirred within.

Merle grunted "the asshole's awake".

Daryl flicked his cigarette onto the ground stubbing it out with the toe of his boot "what do ya wanna do about 'em?" He asked questioningly. 

Merle pondered for a moment taking a sip from a brown bottle at his feet "I say we kill 'em, get it done quickly an' quietly".

Daryl nodded "how ya wanna do it? chloroform an' toss 'em to the dead? Or do ya got somethin' else in mind?".

Merle grinned "naw, I got a better idea an' I know jus' who ta' call".

\-----------------------------------

Lorna Dixon sat upon her living room sofa deep in thought. Tapping her chin with her index finger she mused for a moment before speaking. 

"Hmm that could work but chloroform is hard to come by, not to mention dangerous". 

"So what do ya' suggest momma?" Asked Daryl.

"Fire my love's, fire". 

\---------------------------------

It took two Jerry cans of gasoline and two molotov cocktails to set the small house ablaze. Will Dixon being too drunk to save himself died in the flames.

The three of them stood some fifty feet away watching for a brief time before the sounds of sirens called them back to reality.

Tossing what belongings they had into the back of Merle's truck the three of them drove away, leaving northern Georgia for Atlanta.


	3. In which Rick Grimes barely gets out alive

Rick Grimes left Harrison Memorial Hospital by the skin of his teeth. Managing to make it back into his neighborhood after commandeering a bicycle from a living dead person he then got hit in the head with a shovel by an eight year old.

Having recovered enough to travel Rick's next stop was the police station in King county where he proceeded to shower (it was a wonder this place still had hot water) and rummaged through his locker where he found his police uniform, gun and three magazine clips each holding eighteen bullets.

Heading into the department's armory he's secured two more guns, one large, one small and an axe plus another ten boxes of bullets just to be on the safe side. 

Finding his police cruiser he stuffed everything he had into the trunk along with a large duffel bag and slammed it shut. 

Opening the door of the car he shut it then flipped the visor down where the keys fell onto his lap. Looking up he spotted the photograph clipped to the visor of his husband and son.

His heart sank. 

Shaking away the sadness he plugged the keys into the ignition as the engine roared to life. Backing out of the parking lot Rick set off for the highway hell-bent on reuniting with his family.


	4. In which Rick finds a tank and a friend

Rick's trip into Atlanta was a disaster. First, his car ran out of gas, then his horse was eaten by walkers which pissed him off immensely.

Now here he was sitting in a tank ears ringing from firing his Colt at the head of a living dead guy covered in bits of bone, blood and brain matter from the exploded skull.

And just when Rick didn't think things could get any worse a voice from the now headless zombies walkie cut through the silence.

"Dumbass. Yeah, you in the tank. Are you cozy in there?".

Glenn, the man's name turned out to be zig-zagged them through alleyways and side streets until they came to an empty field.

"W-wait Glenn c-can we rest a bit?" Panted Rick out of breath, hands resting on his knees.

Glenn nodded "sure, for a bit. It's dangerous to sit for too long though especially in the cities". 

"So what brought you out to Atlanta? You got family nearby?".

Sinking to his knees Rick began to cry "yeah, ma' husband and son".

"I awoke from a coma after being shot. After leaving the hospital I thought I'd find them at home, waiting for me but when I showed up...They were gone".

Glenn patted Rick's shoulder "hey man it's okay, if you want tomorrow we'll go out and look for them but in the meantime I got a camp nearby, you're welcome to stay as long as you want".

Rick nodded wiping his eyes "thanks Glenn, okay sounds good".

\------------------------------------

Walking into the camp Rick couldn't help his surprise at the little village he walked up on. A large Winnebago was parked sideways in front of him with a station wagon to the left and a van on the right, forming a kind of half circle.

A small cluster of tents and a few camp chairs were located to the right of the RV and a makeshift fire pit sat off to the side.

Hearing a rustle in the trees Rick glanced over to his left to see a man appear from out of the woods. 

He was average height, stocky with broad shoulders. His dirty blonde hair was short and fell in different directions over his head.

After going into a tirade over a deer he'd been trailing his blue eyes looked up and he froze at the site of his husband.

"Rick?".

The man in question nodded. 

Dropping his crossbow Daryl ran over and flung his arms around him and cried.

Rick returned his embrace, the tears falling from his eyes.

"Dad!" An eight year old boy shouted as he came around a corner.

Wrapping his arms around them both Rick sighed in relief and happiness as he reunited with his loved ones at last.


	5. Chapter 4 In Which the CDC sucks and the prison sorta doesn't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Major warnings for suicide and major character death.

The CDC was a bust. And within the day or two of their arrival Dr. Jenner had succeeded in telling everyone they were infected then effectively blowing the place up.

Three days on the road everyone's morale was at an all-time low until a welcome site five miles up the road greeted them.

The shopping mall sat decrepit before them. Splitting up into two groups of three, the six of them went out to explore while the remaining three stayed behind with Carl and Sophia.

Rick, Merle and Carol slowly entered the gun shop, weapons drawn and eyes on alert. Treading carefully over the broken glass Merle made his way around the display cases and checked every shelf. 

Finding that most of the store had been picked clean Merle came out from behind the counter and headed straight for a back room.

Merle called from the back "hey Rick, Carol come here a minute".

Poking their heads into the seven by ten room Rick and Carol were surprised to see a large assortment of boxes stacked some neatly and some haphazardly on the shelves.

Merle chuckled "looks like we hit the jackpot".

\-----------------------------------

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Rick, Shane and Otis ran toward the large victorian farmhouse. An injured Carl in Rick's arms. 

A man named Hershel immediately took charge, assessing the wound and grabbing the necessary supplies. 

Rick collapsed into a chair and sobbed. 

Shane knelt down to Rick's eye level "hey, look at me man yer son needs ya.Ya gotta keep it together".

Rick looked up wiping away tears.

Hershel turned to the distraught man "Rick what's your blood type?".

"A positive, same as ma' son's".

Hershel nodded "good I'll need you here in case he needs a blood transfusion" he picked up a pair of tweezers "in the meantime find the boy's mother, she should be here". 

\---------------------------------------

Daryl and Lori ran into the farmhouse as tears spilt from their eyes. 

"Ma' baby!" Sobbed Daryl as he fell to his knees onto the floor. 

Lori bent down and brought Daryl to his feet and hugged him.

Hershel quirked a brow "this your boy?" He asked addressing Lori.

Lori shook her head "no he's my nephew, the man crying in my arms is his mother".

Maggie patted Daryl's shoulder "it's alright, my dad will take good care of him". 

\--------------------------------------

Hershel emerged from the bedroom and faced Rick and Daryl who were sitting on the edge of their seats on the sofa in front of him.

"He's stable. I was able to remove the bullet, stop the bleeding and sew up the wound. I gave him a dose of antibiotics and a pain med. He'll need to stay off his feet for at least two weeks but with enough rest he'll pull through". 

"You're groups welcome to stay until your boy is ready to travel". 

"Thank you Hershel for everything" said Rick and shook Hershel's hand.

Hershel returned the gesture "you're welcome, now go see your boy" giving a small smile he pointed to the back bedroom.

Entering the dimly lit room Daryl sat at his son's bedside. With tears in his eyes he took his son's hand and said softly "ma' boy, ma' baby boy, mama's here". 

Rick joined on his husband's right side where the two stayed till morning. 

\------------------------------------

Lori cringed at the interior of the prison and questioned to herself whether or not her brother had gone insane. 

Exploring her eight-by-ten cell tentatively Lori gave a small smile and thought that with a little bleach and hot water the place might clean up nicely. 

With broom in hand Lori started the task of sweeping the cell floor. 

Once done she was about to roll in the mop bucket when Carol and Daryl came from around the corner. 

With their help the three of them mopped the floor, stripped the sheets off the bunk beds and wiped everything down with a disinfectant spray.

Tired after a long day of cleaning Lori and Daryl ( Carol had gone to dump the mop bucket) sat down for a much needed conversation. 

"You know, I was hesitant at first when Rick found this place but I gotta admit once we give everything a good scrub down we can really make a home here".

Daryl nodded "yeah it's nice ta' have a place ta' settle, make our own, ta' have our babies". 

Lori patted her brother in-law's shoulder "you nervous at all?".

Daryl shook his head "no, we got Hershel, Maggie an' Carol we'll be alright. You?"

Lori rubbed her large belly "I was at first but that was only because I was worried about having this baby out there, among those walkers".

Daryl touched Lori's hand sympathetically "well you don' gotta worry now, we got walls, food, shelter".

Lori gave a small smile and relaxed. She couldn't agree more.

\-------------------------------------

Maggie emerged from one of the infirmary cells. A newborn baby boy protesting loudly in her arms, upset at having been forced from his dark cozy home. 

Rocking him gently and with some soothing shushing noises the baby calmed. 

"Shane" Maggie called her voice slightly above a whisper but still loud enough for someone to hear. 

The man in question got up from the table and faced Maggie head on, his face showing signs of concern. 

Maggie gave a small smile "you have a healthy baby boy". But her smile faded just as fast as it appeared. 

"I'm so sorry Shane but we lost Lori. She started hemmorhaging after your son was born then began having seizures. Daddy tried to save her...".

Shane's face turned three shades of white. Turning on his heel he left the cell block leaving Maggie standing in the middle of the room. 

\----------------------------------

They buried Lori as the sun was starting to set. Everyone took her death hard but none so much as Shane, Carl and Rick. 

The baby who's name was Samule after Rick and Lori's dad was sleeping soundly in Carol's arms after having just finished a bottle. 

Shane took Lori's death the hardest out of everyone else in the group and had taken to staying in his cell refusing to come out. 

Rick, Hershel and the others all took turns checking on him, giving him comforting words and as much time as he needed, knowing it was never easy to loose a loved one, especially if that someone was a spouse. 

Three days after Lori's death Carol had come rushing outside asking for Hershel.

Hershel, Carol and Rick had quickly made their way back to C-Block and stopped outside Shane's cell. 

Pulling back the privacy curtain their breaths caught as the three of them laid eyes on Shane slumped forward on the floor of his cell. 

A gunshot wound to his head and blood spatter covering the wall.


	6. Chapter 5 Alexandria safe-zone

Merle woke with a start. Rolling over onto his back he grimaced as the sunlight snaked its way through the upper windows of the prison and right into his eyes. 

The past six months had been hard on the group. A flu epidemic had spread through the prison like a wildfire, many people had succumbed including Carol's daughter. 

Merle had done his best to comfort Carol, giving her a shoulder to cry on or just someone to talk to. Gaining a long lasting friendship with her.

A distant shouting that grew increasingly louder broke through the silence as Merle rushed out of his cell to see Rick, Glenn, T- dog and Maggie carrying a bleeding Hershel into a infirmary cell.

"What the hell happened?" Asked Merle glancing in the direction of the infirmary. 

Glenn swallowed down a lump in his throat and caught his breath "Hershel's been bit, Rick had to cut off his lower leg to save his life". 

And as the others were busy tending to Hershel Merle and Glenn turned just in time to see Daryl appear outside his cell then gasp as a puddle of water formed at his feet. 

Daryl grunted "ma' water jus' broke".

Glenn's face paled. 

Wasting no time Merle went to find Carol. 

\-----------------------------

Merle found Carol sitting beside her daughter's grave, tears slipped down her face as she picked at the blades of grass.

With a small grunt Merle lowered himself onto the grass beside her, the two sitting silently for a good five minutes with nothing but the crickets for company. 

Merle put a hand on her shoulder "hey, how ya holdin' up? Ya ok?". 

Sobbing Carol ripped out a chunk of grass and threw it, sending it sailing a good distance across the yard. 

"No I'm not!" Carol yells as fat tears fall from her eyes "I'm weak, useless and stupid!".

Taking a shakey breath she turns to Merle, her face red and blotchy from crying so much. 

Wiping her face on her sleeve she asks "when does the pain go away?". 

Leaning forward Merle takes the sobbing woman into his arms, hugging her. 

Resting her head on his shoulder she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself as Merle spoke. 

"Now ya listen ta' me Carol, ya ain't weak an' ya never will be. Ya jus' lost Sophia an' ya need time ta' grieve".

Carol pulled a tissue out of her pocket. Dabbing her eyes and blowing her nose Merle waited patiently before continuing. 

"Like I said yer not weak, yer a strong woman, a lot stronger than ya give yerself credit for an' as fer the pain, well, it never goes away but it does get better".

Carol gave a small smile and returned Merle's embrace "thank you for coming and cheering me up".

Merle nodded and gave Carol a small squeeze "yer welcome, now let's go inside yer nursin' skills are needed".

\-------------------------------

Daryl panted "w-where the hell is Rick?".

Merle sat in a chair next to his brother's bed wincing occasionally as Daryl gripped his hand with each contraction. 

"He's comin' lil' brother jus' hang on". 

Carol entered the cell with a stack of clean towels, setting them down she patted Daryl's knee "you're doing great pookie, Rick's on his way and if he doesn't get here fast enough I'll drag him here myself". 

Daryl huffed a small laugh then tensed as another pain hit. 

Carol checked his progress "you're eight centimeters now pookie. I'm gonna go get Rick". 

And with that Carol left the room. 

\----------------------------

Carol arrived with Rick back at the cell just in time. Putting on a pair of gloves she peered between Daryl's legs to find the baby's head starting to crown. 

"Push when you need to Daryl".

With Merle and Rick's help Daryl lowered himself into a squatting position and pushed, all the while spewing swear words that would put the most hardened sailor to shame. 

"You're doing so good sweetie" Rick encouraged sweetly as he rubbed his husband's hand. 

In one fell swoop Daryl reached out and grabbed ahold of Rick's shirt front yanking him close to his face he hissed "shut the fuck up ya' bow-legged mongoose!". 

Rick winced.

Merle's eyes widened and he left the room, not wanting to be on the receiving end of an insult.

Carol rolled her eyes and suppressed the urge to laugh. Regaining her composer she focused on the task at hand. 

Six hours later Daryl gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl who protested her arrival into the world very loudly. 

Placing the baby upon Daryl's bare chest she continue to voice her opinion until Daryl stroked his finger across her cheek gently. 

Blinking the baby peered up at him curiously, making little coo noises as she did so. 

"Hey it's okay sweetheart, mama's 'ere". 

Sensing another crying spell Daryl brought the baby to his breast where she latched and began nursing".

Daryl smiled "ya like that? Huh? Ya like that sweetheart? Ma' lil' asskicker". 

Merle chuckled from the doorway "yep she's an asskicker alright, practically came out kickin' an' screamin' ". 

Rick chuckled "that she is. So what are we gonna name her?". 

It was at this moment that Carl poked his head into the cell, curious as to what was going on.

Daryl patted the side of his bed "hey sweetie come an' meet yer lil' sister".

Getting up from the chair Rick gestured for his son to come over and sit down. hesitant at first Carl made his way over to the side of the bed and took a spot in the chair beside his mom. 

"Wha' do ya' think of yer sister?" Asked Daryl lifting the baby up a little for Carl to see. 

Carl looked at the baby and smiled "aww she's cute, really cute. I like her". 

Rick smiled and ruffled his son's hair gently "well that's good to know. What do you think we should name her?".

Thinking for a moment Carl replied "how 'bout Judith? That was my teacher's name". 

"That's a great name, what do ya' think Dare?" Rick asked his husband. 

Daryl smiled and kissed his daughter's forehead "I love it, our lil' Judith". 

\--------------------------------

\- One month later -

The Governor stood out on the large open field surrounding the prison grinning like a madman or a charlatan trying to sell you a product you know is worthless but the price is too good to be true. 

"It's simple Rick, your group leaves, mine moves in. No one else has to get hurt". 

Rick stood his ground, standing face-to-face ( even though they were at least a thousand yards from each other) with a man who called himself a governor while trying to keep his temper in check. 

Rick was no fool, in fact he was quite thoroughly pissed off. He was livid and it took him all he had to prevent himself from marching over and punching that smile off this so-called governor's face.

He glared at the governor in disgust "no I refuse to accept that. We can either live together in peace or not at all. Your choice." 

Philip laughed, swinging Michonne's katana lazily from side to side "Rick you know that ain't going to work". 

And with one swift movement of the katana he cut off Hershel's head followed by the sound of six bullets whizzing by his head. 

Philip Blake was stunned. Glancing up at Rick then back down as he watched the blood spots bloom from the gunshot wounds in his legs, arms, torso and neck.

Thirty seconds later Philip Blake exploded sending blood, organs, tissue and body parts flying in all directions. 

Rick lowered the triple barreled Smith & Wesson he was holding and with his index finger on his right hand flicked small lever as six bullet shells landed on the ground and next to him. 

Seconds later a barrage of bullets from both sides filled the air. Rick's group held fast for over an hour before being forced to retreat. 

And as they ran a few of them glanced back to watch his the walls of the prison collapsed and walkers move in.


	7. Chapter 6 In which Negan is an asshole

"You're so gonna regret crossing my path" said Negan tauntingly "yes you are".

"Now I don't want to kill any of you, let me make that clear right now. I want you to work for me but you can't do that if your dead now can you? But you killed my men, a whole lot more than I'm comfortable with and for that you must pay". 

Negan paced in front of the long row of people kneeling before him, a large grin spread across his face. 

Shouldering his barbed wire bat Negan paused for a moment "I simply can't decide". 

"I got an idea". And Negan began pacing back and forth, pointing his bat at each person in a sadistic game of 'eenie meenie miney mo' until he stopped on his chosen victim.

"If anyone moves, if anyone says anything cut the boy's eye out and feed it to his father and then we'll start. You can blink, you can breathe, you can cry, hell your gonna be doing all of that". 

And with one swift swing of Lucille Negan beat Abraham and Glenn's skulls until there was nothing left. 

\--------------------------

Rick's group arrived at Hilltop in the early hours of the morning. Burying the bodies and sending Maggie to be checked out by Dr. Carson everyone was furious and heavy-hearted over the events that took place only a few hours ago.

Daryl who was the only one brave enough to do so approached his husband "what are we gonna do now?".

Rick sighed "we bide our time, it won't be today or tomorrow but I will kill Negan". 

\----------------------------

Rick didn't kill Negan as originally planned. Instead, Negan would spend the rest of his life in a jail cell, watching the communities rebuild. Year after year.

Laying on the single bed in his cell Negan stared up at the ceiling as memories of the past came flooding back.

His mind drifted back to a simpler time, long before the world was filled with walkers. A time when he had a family, a wife and daughter who he'd give anything to see again. He was a good man, a happy one, not a sad angry one with a bat.

Rolling over he tried to fall asleep but couldn't. So instead he continued to lay there, with only his thoughts for company.


End file.
